Democrats Gather In Atlanta To Celebrate Diversity of Idea

With a nod to The Onion for the headline, Georgia Democrats have a full fledged problem on their hands. Unlike the “Resistance Summer” meeting of the DNC where Jon Ossoff gave a major speech that was closed press (It seemed open press would clash with the well guarded narrative of one desperate to get to Washington to work across the aisle with Republicans), the Netroots gathering in Atlanta was supposed to showcase a bold and unapologetic progressive movement undaunted by their string of failures since November and squarely preparing for victory.

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Charlie

Publisher of GeorgiaPol.com
UGA & GSU degrees in Economics
Executive Director for PolicyBEST
Interests are public policy solutions in Education, Science & Medicine, and Transportation that keep GA competitive and a great place to live.

13 Comments

joe

I am a little confused. These people look like adults, but they sure act childish.

But there is. A lot more. But neither of them are progressive enough for most of your cornbread progressives. Both are establishment D’s and the perception is they bend the knee to same, more often than not.

This will be the race that breaks the establishment Democrats stranglehold on the State Party machine. They are not the DNC. They are not a private club. This is the wedge that will rift the black community from the establishment democrats.

This is how the seeds of a viable third “party” rises. Independents like me are just sick of both sides of the aisle, Armageddon Apologists and well heels like Reed & Co alike, minding the bidness of the establishment power structure.

I’ve been dissatisfied with the Dem establishment, generally thinking it should be more progressive on many matters, but less to on some. I doubt a new very progressive third party will accomplish anything other than reduce the chance of action.
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Note the GOP is not conservative enough for Tea Partiers either. Look where that’s got us.

Ideological purity isn’t worth jack if you can’t win elections.
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As someone correctly mentioned above, there is little separating the political positions, policy goals, and voting records of Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans. This protest had nothing to do with the content of her prepared remarks and everything to do with the color of her skin. To intimate that, by virtue of being white, Evans is incapable or unwilling to listen to (or advocate for) the opinions and needs of black women is, quite frankly, one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. But, this is an era of “performative progressiveism,” where the image you project to your Twitter and Instagram followers is more important than winning elections or doing any actual research into candidates. Asher Huey wanted to demonstrate how super-duper woke he is for his 6,000 Twitter followers, so he opposed and protested a candidate he knows nothing about, because that’s the woke thing to do. An actual feminist (not someone who just puts the term in their Twitter bio) would allow a woman to express her opinions, beliefs, and political opinions before passing judgment.

“Ideological purity isn’t worth jack if you can’t win elections.”
Obviously that is true in the context of politics or candidates. But I just wanted to mention that there is a place for ideological purity. Groups like the ACLU and AARP don’t necessarily “win elections”, but they continue to pursue their agendas regardless of who wins elections.
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But if you try to steer political purists into advocacy groups you get accused of protecting the status quo.

Building on that, the demand that candidates check every box on the purity test harms their constituents. Look at Mitch McConnell, who supported an ACA repeal effort that would have harmed the millions of Kentuckians benefiting from Medicaid expansion. Bernie Sanders recognizes this truth. It’s why his positions on gun control were in step with voters in Vermont but to the right of Hillary Clinton. As Republicans have learned, basing your platform and positions on oaths you’ve sworn to morons like Grover Norquist leads to bad outcomes and harms your ability to compromise and move the country forward. Democrats shouldn’t make the same mistake.

Well said. I have some compassion for white male democrats as their leadership roles are diminishing and the “it’s our turn” demographic tide will also relegate feminists to followers and financiers. Both parties need to get a grip: a constitutional republic is not a charity but a protector of our unalienable rights.

“Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good. Let us therefore study the incidents in this as philosophy to learn wisdom from and none of them as wrongs to be avenged.”
Abraham Lincoln

I could not see former Democratic Governors Joe Frank Harris, Zell Miller or even Roy Barnes showing up to a “progressive (of course, that means liberal)” event like this. My, how times have changed…not sure that sounds like a winning formula for 2018 statewide contests in Georgia.

Metro Atlanta is trending purple… but the roughly 40 percent of Georgia living outside of metro Atlanta voted 59 percent for Romney and 61 percent for Trump. Looks like Democrats are writing off that part of Georgia, to their detriment next year.

Amen and amen, augusta52. Civility, common courtesy, and public discussion of differing viewpoints no longer exist in the Democratic Party. The downhill slide really picked up steam about 7-8 years ago and it looks like the bottom is in sight. Anarchists and disrespect prevail and the inmates are running the asylum. ‘Sad to see. Will the last person out the door please turn off the lights?